“If there is one
thing that gives the series a broad, universal appeal, it’s that we are all
afraid of the same things.”
Chris
Carter, in Starlog #221: “X-aminations”
by James Swallow. (December 1995, page 31.)
It’s
virtually impossible for me to believe that Chris Carter’s The X-Files (1993 – 2002)
premiered two decades ago this week. I still possess vivid memories of watching
the first season episodes on Fox TV (Channel 35) in Richmond, Virginia.
My
girlfriend (now wife) and I were engaged in 1993 and lived together for the first
time during that span in an apartment we rented in Henrico County, while I
commuted downtown every day to a job at the Supreme Court of Virginia.
I
also remember that the fall TV season of 1993 -- at least as described by the press -- was shaping up to be a genre
slugfest on Sunday nights between Steven Spielberg’s Sea Quest DSV (1993 –
1995) and ABC’s romantic superhero-lite adventure, Lois and Clark: The New
Adventures of Superman (1993 – 1996).
Nobody
in their right mind would have or could have predicted back in September 1993
that a series about the paranormal -- airing
on upstart Fox -- would out-live both of the aforementioned high-profile genre
programs, and garner much more popularity and critical success than
either.
In
fact, as I’ve written before, when most people remember TV in the 1990s, they
think, at least in my experience, of two specific series: Seinfeld and The
X-Files.
Many horror series since The X-Files have built upon its considerable successes, but few
(if any) have surpassed the program or achieved the same level of wide cultural
popularity.
To
me, The
X-Files is indeed the Star Trek of the 1990s, and
therefore one of the most important titles in the history of the genre, on a
par with The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits, certainly.
Like
Star
Trek before it, The X-Files boasts a rabid and large
fan base, has made the transition to the big screen, and seen its storytelling
translated to the venues of comic-books, video games, and novels. Catchphrases from the series, (like “the truth
is out there,” “Trust No One,” and “I want to believe”) have become part of our
shared pop culture landscape as well. The X-Files also generated spin-offs
(including Millennium and The Lone Gunmen) and literally
dozens of (some quite worthy) imitators, from The Burning Zone to Prey to
Strange
World to the more recent Fringe.
As
you likely recall with clarity, The X-Files is the continuing story
of two F.B.I. agents of vastly different qualifications and temperaments, but a
common ground in the quality of curiosity.
On
one hand is the believer: Oxford-educated psychologist Fox Mulder (David
Duchovny).
On
the other is Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), a medical doctor and devout
Catholic who demands that all of Mulder’s “beliefs” about alleged paranormal
events achieve a high-threshold in terms of scientific accuracy and empirical evidence.
Working
out of the F.B.I. Building’s basement in Washington D.C., Scully and Mulder --
utilizing their vastly different “seeing” lenses of skepticism and belief --
investigate during the course of the series alien
abduction (“Pilot,” “Duane Barry”),
demonology (“The Calusari,” “Die Hand der Verletz”), local legends (“The Jersey Devil”), weird genetic mutants (“Squeeze,” “The Host,” “Teliko,” “2Shy”), prehistoric or ancient monsters (“Ice,”
“Darkness Falls,” “Detour”), global
conspiracies (“Erlenmeyer Flask,” “The Red and the Black”), serial killers (“Irresistible,”
“Unruhe,” “Paper Hearts”) and even
vampires (“3,” “Bad Blood.”)
They
also explore cases involving astral
projection (“The Walk,”) reincarnation
(“Lazarus,” “The Field Where I Died”),
telepathy (“Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose,” “Pusher”), and psychic surgery (“Milagro.”)
Yet
this thumbnail description of the premise and characters hardly does The
X-Files justice.
Historically-speaking,
there have been other TV series about the paranormal (One Step Beyond [1959 –
1961], The Sixth Sense [1972 – 1973] and Beyond Reality [1991 –
1993] to name just three), so the subject matter isn’t necessarily the thing
that makes The X-Files so special.
That isn’t the key to the series’ continuing popularity.
Contrarily,
The
X-Files’ intelligent writing -- which
assumed that audiences could keep up and pay attention -- was both cutting
edge (focused often on the details of forensic pathology), and emotionally
resonant.
Similarly,
stars Duchovny and Anderson developed a scintillating chemistry and rapport over
time that made every new adventure a delight.
Scully and Mulder were partners…but also, in a way, competitors. They were dancers circling each other and in
some sense attempting to gain the higher ground in terms of their curiosity and
world view. The Mulder/Scully
back-and-forth repartee elevated each story of the paranormal or supernatural on
The
X-Files to a new level, one where it was the human condition itself – and our assumptions about it -- that was
up for debate.
As
creator Chris Carter once noted of his two protagonists: “They
[Mulder and Scully] are equal parts of my desire to believe in something and my
inability to believe in something. My
skepticism and my faith…I want, like a lot of people do, to have the experience
of witnessing a paranormal phenomenon.
At the same time, I want not to accept it, but to question it.” (David
Bischoff; Omni, December 1994, page
44).
In
the points-of-view of characters Scully and Mulder then, the audience essentially
gets one “whole” person: a complete but conflicted world-view. It’s no surprise that the characters complete
one another, because they form, essentially, a well-rounded, curious outlook on
life. This creative writing structure --
with Mulder and Scully each voicing one
half of a “universal” personality -- plays an important role in the series’
ultimate success.
I
would be remiss if I did not also mention the series’ photography, production
design and overall look. The series
regularly makes use of film grammar to visually create tension, forge suspense,
and develop an often trance-like mood or atmosphere.
There
is a certain kind of shot, for instance, that I associate irrevocably with The
X-Files. It involves a
low-perched camera, near floor level, untethered and on the prowl. The camera moves forward through unknown
terrain (a high tech office, a Victorian home, or anywhere else) and constantly
probes for something new -- something unseen or undetected -- in regular, daily
life.
The low-perched camera, moving
forward into undiscovered countries thus mimics the series’ thematic material,
which concerns the exploration of “extreme possibilities.”
The
X-Files also
arrived, historically, at the beginning of an era when television was moving away
from standalone dramas to serials and “arcs.”
What
this means is that Mulder and Scully could not simply walk away from a case they
were investigating and forget all about it.
They didn’t begin their next story with no memory of what had happened
before.
On
the contrary, many cases caused repercussions for the characters that would
last for seasons, or even for the duration of the series. For instance, Mulder underwent a
many-seasons-long search for his missing sister, Samantha, whom he believed had
been abducted by aliens. Scully was apparently
abducted by aliens in the second season, grappled with terminal cancer in the
fourth season, and struggled with problems of infertility in the later years.
The
cases were connected in other ways too, by a thread that X-Files fans have come to
understand as “The Mytharc.” These tales were of a global Syndicate or
Conspiracy prepping for an alien colonization of Earth. But like the Hydra,
this conspiracy of men had many heads, or many facets, and for years Mulder and
Scully nibbled around the edges of the master-plan, able to discern only pieces
of the larger puzzle.
Again,
in the age of Dexter, Mad Men, The Walking Dead and other serials, The
X-Files’ achievement of sustained, always-developing story lines may
not seem like a big deal. But The X-Files remains a critical
“bridge” series between the standalone era and the more heavily serialized
era.
By
1994, critics had begun to detect that The X-Files was something
special. Writing for Omni in December of 1994 (pages 43 –
50), David Bischoff noted that “The direction is atmospheric, the scripts are
tight, the dialogue is crisp, the tone uneasy and grim….How can anyone not love
this show?”
In
The New Leader, James Wolcott called The
X-Files “as scary as The Twilight Zone and much
sexier…What’s erotic about the show is its slow progression from reverie to
revelation, stopping just short of rapture.
It wants to swoon, but swooning would mean shutting its eyes, and
there’s so much to see.” (April 18, 1994, pages 98, - 100).
In
1999, TV Guide’s Matt Roush
accurately noted that “Many weeks…The X-Files is as good as any
movie,” and indeed, the horror genre suffered something of an identity crisis
in the 1990s while attempting to compete with Chris Carter’s sterling creation. Why go out to see an untested commodity (like
a new film), when The X-Files promised quality “scares” week-in and week-out?
The X-Files episodes fall under many categories of speculative fiction and horror sub-genres, including:
Trust No One
This
category includes episodes in which the U.S. Government (and sometimes private
corporations) conduct secret experiments on citizens for nefarious
purposes.. Some of these stories
directly involve the Myth-Arc, but others do not.
Examples: “Eve,” “Ghost in the Machine,”
“Blood,” “Sleepless,” “Red Museum,” “F. Emasculata,” “Soft Light,” “Wetwired,”
“The Pine Bluff Variant,” “Drive,” and “Dreamland.”
Freaks of Nature
In
these stories, mutants and monsters feed on and otherwise exploit the human
populace. Some of the freaks of nature
are inbred and deformed (“Home”), whereas others are genetic mutations and
possibly a strange dark alley (or dead end…) of human evolution. Often the freaks are caused by human
irresponsibility (“The Host”), but other times they are merely trying to
fulfill a biological need (“2Shy,” “Teliko.”)
In one instance, “Hungry,” the freak of the week’s point of view is
explored rather fully and found to be pitiable.
Examples: “Squeeze,” “Tooms,” “The Jersey
Devil,” “The Host,” “Humbug,” “D.P.O.,” “2Shy,” “Teliko,” “Home,” “Small
Potatoes,” “Leonard Betts,” “Detour.”
Xenophobia (or
Foreign Fears)
In
these stories, ancient ethnic legends are seen to have a basis in fact. This particular X-Files story-type plays
on the idea that Western-based “science” does not see the whole picture when it
comes to life (and death) on the planet.
In these tales, ethnic legends and curses from around the globe inevitably
prove true, even though they operate outside our concepts of reality and even
sense.
Examples: “Teso Dos Bichos,” “Kaddish,”
“Hell Money,” “El Mundo Gira,” “Badlaa.”
From the Dawn of
Time
These
X-Files
episodes concern life-forms from prehistory.
Unfortunately, they re-assert themselves in the present because of
climactic changes or man’s encroachment on long-standing territory. These life-forms are millions of years old
and exhibit qualities inimical to human survival. Sometimes, they exist in remote locations (a
volcano, or the Arctic, for example), and sometimes they are just around the
corner, in the Appalachians.
Examples: “Ice,” “Darkness Falls,”
“Firewalker,” “Quagmire,” “Field Trip,” “Agua Mala,” “Detour.”
Aliens
Extra-terrestrial
life is at the center of many X-Files stories, though ultimately
not validated empirically within the continuity (for the most part). There is some heavy overlap between aliens
and the Mytharc stories since the latter involve the colonization of Earth and
the restoration of an alien virus (the black oil) that was the planet’s
original inhabitant.
Examples: “Pilot,” “Space,” “E.B.E.,”
“Genderbender,” “Little Green Men,” “Jose Chung’s From Outer Space,” “Colony,”
“End Game,” “Talitha Cumi,” “Herrenvolk,” “War of the Coprophages,”
“Travelers,” “The Beginning,” “The Unnatural,” “Biogenesis.”
God’s Masterplan
These
stories explore aspects of Christian mythology and ask questions about it. Is God real?
Is the Devil? Why can Mulder so
readily believe in aliens, monsters, and time loops but not in Scripture? Conversely, why does Scully permit herself
faith in Christian lore, but not the paranormal? Where is her precious science when it comes
to the Bible? This kind of story,
involving Christian mythology also exposes the protagonists’ inability to see
outside their own world-view.
Examples: “Miracle Man,” “Die Hand der
Verletzt,” “Revelations,” “All Souls,” “Terms of Endearment.”
The Serial Killer
This
style of X-Files tale was minimized late in the program’s run to
accommodate the format on Millennium (1996 – 1999). Originally, however, serial killers appeared
quite frequently on The X-Files to represent the “evil within” humanity.
Examples: “Irresistible,” “Grotesque,”
“Unruhe,” “Paper Hearts.”
Psychic Phenomena
From
astral projection to clairvoyance, from soul migration to astrology (the effect
of heavenly bodies on human bodies), The X-Files obsessed on psychic
phenomena throughout its nine year run.
Examples: “Fire,” “Beyond the Sea,”
“Shadows,” “Born Again,” “Lazarus,” “Young at Heart,” “Roland,” “The List,”
“The Walk,” “Excelsius Dei,” “Aubrey,” “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose,”
“Oubliette,” “Syzygy,” “Pusher,” “The Field Where I Died,” “Elegy,”
“Kitsunegari,” “Mind’s Eye,” “Trevor,” “Milagro,” “Via Negativa.”
The
Mytharc/Conspiracy
In
these stories, The X-Files charts the U.S. government’s association with
aliens, and secret plans for impending alien colonization. Mulder’s family history and association with
the Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis), as well as Scully’s abduction fit
into this subset of narrative.
This
brand of story features a large recurring/supporting cast, including Agent
Krycek (Nicholas Lea), The Well-Manicured Man, Agent Spender, and Cassandrea
Spender (Veronica Cartwright). There is
heavy overlap between this story type and the “Aliens” sub-type.
Examples: “The Erlenmeyer Flask,” “Duane
Barry,” “Ascension,” “Colony,” “End Game,” “Anasazi,” “The Blessing Way,”
“Paper Clip,” “Piper Maru,” “Apocrypha,” “Terma,” “Tunguska,” “Tempus Fugit,”
“Max,” “731,” “Nisei,” “Redux,” “Redux II,” “The End,” “Two Fathers, One Son.”
The Horror Standards/Tropes
Horror
television features a set of standard stories or tropes that are hauled out again and again. The X-Files demonstrates real wit
and innovation dealing with stories and characters that have appeared on Night
Gallery, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, and Tales from The Crypt,
among others.
These
standards include stories about vampires, werewolves, ghosts, crazy computers,
succubi, cannibalism, science run amok, time loops, evil dolls, and zombies.
Examples: “Shapes,” “The Ghost in the
Machine,” “3,” “Dod Kalm,” “Our Town,” “Avatar,” “Never Again,” “Post-Modern
Prometheus,” “How the Ghosts Stole Christmas,” “Bad Blood,” “Kill Switch,”
“Chinga,” “Monday,” “Millennium.”
"The X-Files" started so much! Even in its minutiae. It took great advantage of the suddenly ubiquitous cell phone. It invented the flashlight. It re-invented Hitchcock's low camera shooting upwards at its subject. And it managed to do so with suspense, terror, humor, grotesqueness, and intelligence. I always admired how intelligent the series was, and how it demanded that YOU keep up with IT. Even in its manipulation of our fears, it was a smarty-pants. The sea monster making an appearance at the half-hour commercial mark in "Agua Mala" (who *doesn't* have to go to the bathroom by then???), and the red eyes under the bed at the end of "Detour" (try not to look under your own bed as you go to sleep). Smart, funny, scary, exciting, dramatic. Even when I thought the show started to fail its mythology beginning in season six, it was still perfectly made. Great tribute to a great show, John!
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